A BOY of eight yesterday became the youngest chess player to beat a Grand Master. David Howell defeated Dr John Nunn, a former world top 20 player, in a five-minute speed match. Last night chess experts tipped him as a future world beater. David was unruffled by his victory. But he admitted that his heart had sunk when he saw that his opponent was the 44-year-old Grand Master, one of the game's leading tacticians. 'I thought I was going to be beaten quite badly,' he said. 'It was quite fun playing him and then he blundered in the end game. After the game he shook my hand but didn't say anything.' A hushed crowd gathered around the board as news of the likely upset spread through the chess room at the Mind Sport Olympiad, at Olympia in London. His victory beats the record for a young player defeating a Grand Master by two years. David, from Seaford, East Sussex, took up chess three years ago when his father, Martin, a doctor, bought a chess set for £1 at a jumble sale. Two hours later David had mastered the moves and basic strategy. He was soon memorising whole games at Eastbourne Chess Club. David already holds several national titles at Under 10 and Under 11 level. He visits Greece next month for the European Junior Championships, followed in October by the world competition in Spain. Lord Hardinge of Penshurst, president of the Mind Sports Olympiad, a week-long series of games and tests which has been described as the mental equivalent of the Olympics, said: 'David is one of the very strongest young British players and his win was an absolutely fantastic achievement.' David's father said: 'He is an absolutely normal boy who loves reading his Tintin and Asterix books and playing football. 'I still love playing chess with him, but my best result recently was a draw and that was some time ago.'